Isbister returned to campus last spring as a Distinguished Visiting Alumna and spoke about her experiences, her company and the process that is changing the way businesses work.

A member of the U.S. Manufacturing Council — a committee that advises the U.S. secretary of commerce on the manufacturing sector — Isbister said she was pleased to learn that SUNY Plattsburgh business students are already familiar with the lean trend.

“If you end up in any company in the manufacturing industry today, lean is very much a part of how they do business,” she said. “So, if you bring that understanding with you from school, you are already ahead of a lot of people who have been in the industry for awhile, who don’t know lean and have to learn it in the setting, as opposed to learning it philosophically at school and then applying it.”